Senate Blocks Obama Jobs Bill — Again

The Senate blocked consideration of $60 billion in infrastructure spending bill funding by a 0.7 per cent surtax on incomes over $1 million — a component of President Barack Obama’s American Jobs Act.The bill earned 51 votes of the required 60 to proceed to debate, on an almost entirely party-line vote, as Republicans objected to the new tax.

After the American Jobs Act failed, the Democrat-controlled Senate pledged to vote on individual components of the bill to force Republicans to go on record opposing individual job-creating measures.